Thermal electromotive force generator



May 17, 1960 A. c. sAMPlETRo 2,937,213

THERMAL ELEcTRoMoTIvE FoRcE GENERATOR Filed June 2v. 1958 HEATING MEDIUM OUTLET COOLING MEDIUM OUTLET HEATING MEDIUM v INLET f -mff i @W @IMM/g5.

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.in electrical series or parallel relationship.

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THERMAL LECTROMOTIVE FORCE l a a' y GENERATOR `Achilles C. Sampietro, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Thomp- .son Ramo Wooldridge luc., a corporation of Ohio l Application Jgnefzpmss, serial i519; 145,132

This invention relatesl to a thermalelectromotive force generator. lMore particularly, this invention relates to means for generating electrical'power from thermal energy by utilizing the Peltier effect'V wherein an electrical circuit containing two junctions of different electrically conductive materials maintained at different temperatures gives rise to van electromotive force. In particular, the invention relates to the usev of materials that give relatively highvdifference of potential for a mo'derate temperature difference between the hotA and cold junctions yand to the construction of these materials in a device the .structureof which affords optimum economy and ethyIt isan object of this invention to provide a thermal electromotiv'e force generator.

It is a Yfurther object of this invention to provide a `thermal electromotive force generator which is compact Yand econo'micalin construction and highly eicientin operation.

I t is a further object of this invention to provide a y.thermal electromotive force generator in which the heat 4exchange channels maintaining the temperature difference of the junctions are integrally formed in the electrically conductive `materials comprising the generator. It.l is a still further object o'f this invention to provide a thermal electromotive force generator the individual cells or units of which may readily be connected either While the novel and distinctive features of theinven LFigure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line II,II of AFigure 1. e 1

Figure 3y is a sectional view with certain parts broken away taken on the line III--III of Figure 2.

, .Y The general physical principles ofv thermo-electricity l and the phenomenon of thermal electromo'tive forcey generation have been well-known for some time. These gen- .eral physical principles are, for example, discussed atV pages 2l8'through 226 of a book entitled Principles of [Electricity/gif by L. Page and N. I. Adams, published by ...Van Nostrand Co., Inc., New York, New York,l tenth V printing 1944. LThese physical principles have been most co'rnmonlyused in thermocouples used to measure tema l' perature rather than to generate useful electric power.y Many attempts have, however, been made to construct thermoelectric batteries or generators which would be 'ga-,sufficiently economical to construct and sufficiently eili- E,cient in generating useful quantities of electric power to Y i be commercially practical. It is apparent that a comi of the two materials used. Plates 21 Vare plain surfaced a 2,937,218 Y Patented May. 17,217,960

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merciallyl practicable. thermal electrornotive force; gen- A erator must be both simple and ruggedfin Yconstruction and capable of producing/a reasonable'lvoltage output In Figures l, 2 and 3, there is shown a thermal electromotive force generator consisting of a stack of members or plates, intermediate ones of which are of one type of electrically lconductive material and alternate ones are of a second type of such material. kBy way of example there is listed .below the voltage output for each unit of the stack using the stated combinations of materials and maintaining la temperature differenceY of 300 C. between the two junctions lof each unit:

V Volt Silicon-germanium f .20189 Silicon-antimony 4 .125,53 Silicon-iron .11512 Silicon-chromel 11941 Other suitable combinations of materials may, of course, Y

also be found by'those skilled inthe art.

In Figure lY there is shown a thermal electromotive force generator 10 comprising a generally rectangular case 11 and a removable top 12 therefor. Case 11 and top 12 are preferably composed of any suitable electrical and heat insulating materialsuch as a ceramic or a plastic.

Cover 12 is provided with an inlet pipe 13 and an outlet pipe 14 for any suitable heating medium. Cover 12 is further provided with an inlet pipe 15 andan outlet pipe 16 for any suitable cooling medium. Cover k12 is also provided with means to derive an electrical output from the generator-such as the terminal o'r bindingV posts 17 and 18.. *l Lf ,A

-As may best Vbe seen in Figures 2 and '3, the container 11 is'provided'with a bottom wall 19 whichfis integral with the side walls thereof and is 'composed' ofthe same" material. Within the container 11 there is positioned aV plurality o'f members or generally rectangular! plates 20 Vof a first electrically conductive material and a further` plurality of members or generally rectangularplates 21 composed of a second electrically conductive material different from the material of plates 20. It will be noted that the v'plates 20 and 21 all have generally ithe same voutline shape so lthat they may readily be stacked in a unitary pile as shown in 'Figure' 2. It will, 'of course,"lbe

understood that although ,the platesare shown in the preferred embodiment of Figures 1, 2 and 3 as being generally rectangular, other shapes could also beV used. The overall configuration could, for example, be .circular rather than rectangular. The rectangular conguration vis convenient in that it provides a 'foursided stack on each side of which there is formed a chamber for the cir- .Y

culation of a heat exchange medium as willbe described in detail below.

Plates 20 and V21 may be composed 'of anyknown-electrical conductor or semi-conductor, that is to say, of any suitable electrically conductivevmaterials the'juuctions of which may be utilized to 'generate thermal electricity. By way of example, anycombination of the materials listed above may Vsuitably bevused; Thus,l plates 20 may suitably be silicon vvphere'asplates 21'7may suitably be germanium. Eachplate 20 is provided with a plurality of recessed channels 22 cutor recessed into one major surface thereof. Plates'v 20 'are' each further-provided with a second plurality ofY similarly recessed 'channels 23 cut in the opposite major surface thereof.4 VChannels 22 are preferably cut'to extend in'gene'rlallyparallelrelationship with one-'side o'r edge of plate: 20 'and channels 23 in the opposite major surface of plate 20 are preferably cut to extend substantially perpendicularly tofthe Achannels 22. The plate 20 in which lthese recesses or channels are cut should preferably consistY ofthe cheaper fiat rectangular plates so'that when the plates 20 and 21 are arranged alternately in sandwiched or stacked relation as shown in Figure 2, the two alternate plates 21 adjacent to' Aany given intermediate plate 20 will respectively make electrical contact with opposite surfaces or sides of the intermediate plate to thereby form first and second junctions therewith. The alternate plates 21 also serve to provide the fourth side for the channels or recesses 22 and 23, that is to say, they serve to close the cross sectio'nal perimeter of these channels to provide conduits for the liow of a heat exchange medium.

It is thus seen that one intermediate plate, such as the plate 20a, and two alternate plates, such as the plates 21a and 2lb, provide a first junction as at the interface between plate 21a and plate 20a and a second junction, as at the inter-face between plates 20a and 2lb, and thereby constitute one unit or one thermal pile of the thermal electromotive force generator. Each of these units for any given material combination will provide a voltage output as given by way of specific examples above. thermore, each of these units is provided as an integral part thereof with channels for the ow of heat exchange media to control the temperature at each of the two junctions. Thus, a heating medium maybe circulated through the channel 23 in the general direction of the arrows H shown in Figure 3 to maintain the junction formed at the interface between plates such as the plates 21a and 20a at a relatively high temperature whereas a cooling medium may be circulated through the channels 22 in the general direction indicated by the arrows C in Figure 3 to maintain the junction formed Iat the interface between such plates as plates 20a and 2lb at a relatively low temperature.

The heating medium may conveniently fow from headers or reservoirs 24 and 25 formed on opposite sides of the case 11 by projections in the side wall thereof and connecting at the top with inlet and outlet pipes 1S a-nd 16. Similarly, the cooling medium may conveniently ow through channels 22 from headers or reservoirs 26 and 27 similarly formed by projections in the other opposite pair of sides of the case 11 and connecting in open communication at the tops with inlet and outlet pipes 13 and 14. The stack of plates 20 and 21 may conveniently be mounted in case 11 by means of insulating support members 28, 29, and 31, positioned las shown in Figure 3 in the fou-r corners of case 11 to not only provide support for the plates 20 and 21 but to also provide heat insulation -between adjacent reservoirs or headers for the heating and cooling media. The channels in each unit are, of course, in open communication with the associated header or reservoir in the parallel feed arrangement shown. Alternatively, suitable bafiier could be used to achieve a series fiow of the heat exchange medium.

With alternate junctions maintained at a temperature difference so that one junction is relatively hot and the other is relatively cold by circulating heat exchange media through the two paths indicated above, electrical output may be derived from the device by connecting the bottom plate of the stack to the terminal 17 and the top plate of the stack to terminal 18. The connection of the botttom plate to terminal 17 may suitably be made by a wire 32 embedded in the insulating material 30 and connected at the bottom to the bottom plate and at the top to the terminal 17. Connection to terminal 17 and 18 may be made through spring clips or any other wellknown device. The above mode of connection of course places each of the units in electrical series circuit relationship and the total output voltage will then be equal to the sum of the output voltages of the total number of `units in the device. Alternatively, it will be apparent that the units could be connected in parallel by connecting each of the plates 20 to a conductor such as the conductor 32 and by further connecting each of the plates 21 to a similar conductor disposed in the insulation 29. Conductor 30 would of course still be connected to terminal 17 and the other conductor would be connected to terminal 18.

It will be noted that the device illustrated provides an extremely compact structure in which the heat exchange medium is in direct contact with the materials forming the junction surfaces and thereby assures maximum effciency of thermal-electric conversion. No auxiliary heat exchanger is needed since the headers are simply a part of the casing for the device whereas the heat exchange channels are formed integrally `from the plates constituting the two junctions of the device.

While the principles of the invention have now been made clear, there will be immediately obvious to those skilled inthe art many modifications in structure, arrangement, proportions, and the elements and components used in the practice of the invention and otherwise, which are particularly adapted for specific environments and operating requirements without departing from those principles. The appended claims are therefore intended to cover and embrace any such modifications within the limits only of the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim as my invention:

l. A thermal electromotive force generator comprising, a first member comprising a first electrically conductive material, said first member having at least one channel recessed in each of two opposed surfaces thereof, second and third members each comprising a second electrically conductive material different from said first material, said second and third members each being positioned to make electrical contact with one of said surfaces of said first member respectively to form first and second junctions therewith and to close the cross sectional perimeters of said channels, means to pass a heating medium through the channel in one of said surfaces, means to pass a cooling medium through the channel in the other of said surfaces, and means to derive an electrical output voltage between said second and third members.

2. A thermal electromotive force generator comprising, a first fiat plate comprising a first electrically conductive material, said first plate having at least one channel recessed in each of two opposed flat surfaces thereof, second and third fiat plates each comprising a second electrically conductive material different from said first material, said second and third plates each being positioned to make electrical contact with one of said surfaces of said first plate respectively to form first and second junctions therewith and to close the cross sectional perimeters of said channels, means to pass a heating medium through the channel in one of s aid surfaces, means to pass a cooling medium through the channel in the other of said surfaces, and means to derive an electrical output voltage between said second and third plates.

3. A thermal electromotive force generator comprising, a first flat rectangular plate comprising a flrst electrically conductive material, said rst plate having at least one channel recessed in each of two opposed fiat surfaces thereof, second and third flat rectangular plates of the same outline shape as said first plate each comprising a second electrically conductive material different from said first material, said second and third plates each being positioned to make electrical contact with one of said fiat surfaces of said first plate respectively to form first and second junctions therewith and to close the cross sectional perimeters of said channels, said channel in one of said surfaces of said first plate being substantially perpendicular to said channel in the other of said surfaces of said first plate, means to pass a heating medium through the channel in one Aof said surfaces, means to pass a cooling medium through the channel in the other of said surfaces, and means to derive an electrical output voltage between said second and third plates.

4. A thermal electromotve force generator comprising, a first fiat rectangular plate comprising a first electrically conductive material, said first plate having a plurality of channels recessed in one major surface thereof parallel assura to one edge thereof, said first plate also having a plurality f channels recessed in the opposite major surface thereof and disposed perpendicularly to the channels in the other surface thereof, seco-nd and third flat rectangular plates each comprising a second electrically conductive material different from said rst material, said first plate being positioned in sandwiched relationship between said second and third plates, insulating means supporting said sandwiched plates at the four corners thereof, said second and third plates each being thus positioned to make electrical contact with one of said surfaces of said rst plate respectively to form rst and second junctions therewith and to close the cross sectional perimeter of said channels, means to pass a heating medium through the channels in one of said surfaces, means to pass a cooling medium through said channels in the other of said surfaces, and means to derive an electrical output voltage between said second and third plates.

5. A thermal electromotive force generator comprising, a stack of electrically conductive members, intermediate ones of said members being composed of a first electrically conductive material and alternate ones of said members being composed of a second electrically conductive material different from said first material, said intermediate members each having at least one channel recessed in each of two opposed surfaces thereof, said alternate members each being contiguous with the adjacent intermediate members to make electrical contact with one of the surfaces thereof to form a junction and to close the cross sectional perimeters of said channels, means to pass a heating medium through the channels in one of said surfaces of each of said intermediate members, means to pass a cooling medium through the channels in the other of said surfaces of each of said intermediate members, and means to derive an electrical output voltage from said stack.

' 6. A thermal electromotive force generator comprising, a stack of electrically conductive members, intermediate ones of said members comprising a generally at rectangular plate of a rst electrically conductive material, alternate ones of said members comprising generally flat rectangular plates of a second electrically conductive material diEerent from said first material, each of said Vintermediate members having a plurality of channels ship in a container of generally rectangular cross section, insulating means attached to said container and supporting said sandwiched plates yat the four corners thereof, each of the four sides of said container being flared outwardly to form a manifold chamber adapted to receive a heat transfer medium, the channels in one of said surfaces of said intermediate members being in open communication with two of said chambers and the channels on the other surface of said intermediate members being in open communication with the other ltwo of said chambers, means to pass a heating medium through the channels in one of said surfaces and through the chambers with which said channels communicate, `means to pass a cooling medium through the channels in the otherrof said surfaces and through the chambers with which they communicate, and means to derive an electrical output from the stack of electrically conductive members.

7. A thermal electromotive forces generator comprising, a rst member comprising a trst electrically conductive material, second and third members each comprising a second electrically conductive material different from said lirst material, said second and third members each being positioned to make electrical contact with opposed surfaces of said first member respectively to form first and second thermo-electric junctions at the interfaces between said members, at least two of said first, second and third members being shaped to provide two passages for the ow of a heat exchange media through two said members to maintain said two junctions at different temperatures, and means to derive an electrical output voltage between said second and third members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 641,214 824,684 Cove June 26, 1906 1,120,781 Altenkineh et a1. Dec. 15, 1914 2,675,417 Heibei Apr. 13, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 742,364 France Dec. 27, 1932 8.985 Great Britain -4--4-1-44- May 1. 1901 Matthius Ian. 9, 1900 

